Canyon Empty Rooms Gern Blandsten Records 2002

Canyon Empty Rooms Gern Blandsten Records 2002 CAT# GERN064

Well, it's not completely local, actually, it's not really local at all.  Canyon is DC band with local connections.  After KC's Boys Life disbanded, Brandon Butler left to hang out in DC.  He did Farewell Bend, that didn't last long and members formed this band.  By this album, Butler brought in his former band mate, Joe Winkle, to play along.  So, half KC, half DC, but ultimately, formed in the Nation's Capitol.

It doesn't sound like either the KC or DC branded post-hardcore.  Its the inevitable outcome of an aging hipster, I mean, how long can you listen to punk before it all starts to sound the same?  Sooner or later Neil Young makes far more sense than Iggy Pop.

Another key aspect to the sound of this band is the time in which the group formed.  The first Canyon LP came out in 2001 and Empty Rooms was the following year.  The indie rock scene was a bit obsessed with the likes of Low, Bedhead, Karate and other bands that were being dubbed slo-core.  It made sense for the for these guys to slow it down--slow was the new loud.

What Canyon did perfectly on this album was dig deeper than Codeine's Frigid Stars.  They took cues from lo-fi pioneers like Smog and added country music to their blend, kept the space rock in check, and went Crazy Horse on it.  There are moments on the album that are perfect and things blend effortlessly.  However, there are just as many spots that sound forced, especially true when the dig into the country side (I blame the DC guys, they don't know about that shit).

1st Song, Sleepwalker. Near perfect.

Rainmakers 25 ON Big Dipper Records 2011

Rainmakers 25 ON Big Dipper Records 2011 CAT # BDRLP091

Pretty rad that this band is was so big in Norway and Scandinavian countries that they still can release music there.  This is an import vinyl issue that I bought locally at Vinyl Renaissance fairly cheap, they could barely give the thing away.  Which typifies the KC scene.  You can be a KC band, be huge somewhere else and everyone back home either calls you a sell out or doesn't know who the fuck you are.

There are even a couple of tunes here devoted to Kansas City, like the band is begging the hometown to embrace them.  'Missouri Girl' (pronounced Misery Girl) is exactly what you'd expect, a song about a Missouri Girl (Walkenhorst's wife).  It's no 'California Girls,' but it's a solid attempt.  'Kansas City Times' talks about the back roads of surrounding towns, also a good outing.  You can't say the band ignored their roots, they were always proud Kansas Citians; even when their audience is almost entirely foreign.

Overall, it's a decent album.  You can't expect a masterpiece from an aging, semi-retired band.  The Americana they relied on in the late-80's is now highly pronounced and well developed.  Bob Walkenhorst's lyrics are still literate and clever.   The production is far better than it was in the 80's.  Walkenhorst still sings in a style reminiscent of the 80's, but you get used to it and it's toned down over the years.  If the legend is true and these guys are huge in the Slavic countries, this isn't a bad way to represent KC.

Kansas City Times (Live)
Turpentine (Live)
Missouri Girl (Live)

Radkey Cat & Mouse EP Wreckroom 2013

Radkey Cat & Mouse EP Wreckroom 2013 NO CAT#

So, here's a group of under-the-age of 20 brothers from St. Joseph, Missouri playing American style punk.  Oh, and they're African American.  So, black teenage brothers from the heartland playing punk rock, nationally, needless to say, there's a lot of hype around them.  They've toured, been featured in the Village Voice, have a limited 12" release, yet there bio states they just recently learned to play music?  I don't know, man.  There's a lot to go over with this band.

For one, it's pretty apparent someone is setting this band up to be the next big thing.  You don't have limited, self-released, import only, 12" EP come out with out someone footing the bill.  You also don't have such an amazing back story without taking a few liberties.  Three brothers from St. Joesph who magically picked up instruments and almost instantaneously put out a record?  On word of mouth alone they book tours in Europe? And seriously, they have a "look."  The middle brother and bassist looks like the lead singer of Thin Lizzy.  I mean, it's an obvious modeled look.  I've been to St. Joesph and that isn't a look the teenagers are sporting.  And if the band is so "brand" new, where did they score the sweet gear?

So yeah, I have my reservations about the band's riveting back story.  I think there's a lot of fabrication.  However, I don't think it's a bad thing, I mean, it's pretty clear, they are going to be the next "big" thing.  And, the first BIG release is going to be something incredible.  I just think whoever is putting out that release is behind the scenes feeding the hype machine.  These songs are just too good to believe all that.

On Cat & Mouse, the band plays straight ahead early American punk.  You'll read a lot of comparisons to Danzig-esque vocals and the Misifits and those comparisons aren't far off.  Not quite as hardcore as the Misfits, but close.  Dark and menacing with the aggression and energy of early Black Flag, the brothers pummel through 5 teen rockers.  And it's well produced, dual tracked vocals, flashes of keyboards, guitar solos, it's old school punk with pop flashes.  They do find some polictical or teenage angst as well, the song 'N.I.G.G.A. (Not Okay)' is exactly what you think it's about.  And, the fact that it's from teenagers makes it even better.

But seiously, the whole just started playing charade is bullshit.  I'm guessing the brothers have been playing together in the basement for some time.  Long enough to know how to bash out clever punk tunes, but not old enough to hide their musicality.  I'm going out and stating the debut full length is going to be leaps and bounds beyond the screamers here.  It'll probably be brilliant, too.  But, this EP will always be a good punk throwback; a reference point.  Think of the jump the band At The Drive-In made from their basement punk debut to In/Casiono/Out.  The Strokes from musical obscurity to starting a genre of fashion punk.  Or, the Refused's Euro-Hardcore to the blistering neo-Punk of the Shape of Punk to Come.  It's going to be something epic and big.

N.I.G.G.A. (Not Okay)
Already on Later w/ Jools Holland, really?

Capybara Dave Drusky The Record Machine 2012

Capybara Dave Drusky The Record Machine 2012 CAT# TRM - 040

I first heard this band on a local radio station's local music show.  Generally, the station plays alternative rock and the local show is not much different.  They played something from the band's first album (digital only release) and I was blown away.  So many stringed instruments in one song, mandolins, guitars, maybe ukulele too.  I ran home, got on-line and discovered the band was called Capybara.  Had no idea who they were, but found out later the Record Machine was working with the band to release stuff.

I've really wanted to discuss more Record Machine releases, but, records are expensive and I'm broke.  I did try and hint to Nathan Ruesch of the Record Machine that I'd blog about his stuff.  However, hint wasn't taken and Nathan probably has no desire to give out free records to a blog no one reads.  Regardless, I'd been listening to this album a lot at work in digital format and told Nathan how much I liked it because it reminded me of R.E.M.  So much so that I started sending Nathan R.E.M. tunes from the Murmur and Reckoning albums.  He kind of agreed by stating he could hear the similarities.

Seriously though, this band is a throwback to early 80's indie.  Atmospheric, clever harmonies, lots of crisp guitars, mumbled vocals with literate lyrics.  And, I'm not saying they lift from R.E.M., it's just a similar sound and I'm sure these guys have good things to say about the previously mentioned albums.

Honestly, this is my favorite thing going locally right now.  As stated, I enjoy it at work with headphones.  I enjoy it at home on the turntable.  The whole album has a great ebb and flow, it brings you up with snappy percussion and then slows down with something epic like the song, 'Wild'.  I stress the term atmospheric, the LP never achieves anything that "rocks" which make the R.E.M. comparisons even more relevant.  But, there are great pop songs hidden in the crescendo effects and vocal "oooohhhs" and "aaaahhs".  Seriously, you'll think you've heard some of these tunes in Volkswagen commercials due to the dreaminess of it all.  Buy this LP.

Wild
Late Night Bike

http://therecordmachine.net/ (pretty rad label)

Bloodstone Party TNeck/CBS 1984

Bloodstone Party TNeck/CBS 1984 Cat #FZ39146

Eh, the story behind this band is better than the album pictured here.  I've listened to it a few times and I can't remember anything other than the slick 80's production.  What happened to soul music in the 80's?  I mean what a fucking crime?  Soul music is great until about 1978.  Disco happened, I get that.  But, there was some solid late-70's disco influence boogie coming out and this band put out sides like this.  Then in the 80's things just had to sound plastic and fake.  All the "soul" was removed in favor of programmed beats and the occasional "Yooow!"  Earth, Wind, & Fire was good at the sound, but everyone else sounded like a cheap imitation.

Somewhere in all the synthesizers and programmed beats, I'm sure there was some good songs here, but I can't find them.  Further, there's probably some great samples and sounds that beat jockeys have used in hip-hop production, I just don't care.  Again, if you don't have 8 members, don't try and sound like Earth, Wind & Fire by using studio tricks, it just falls flat.

But, the band does have an interesting story.  The band formed in the early 60's as soul/doo wop group called the Sinceres.  Later, they toured with a horn section regionally as a Motown influenced review and became a huge attraction in Westport.  In the 70's, they picked up instruments and learned to play as a band and changed their name to Bloodstone.  First they attempted Los Angeles and didn't find success.  They then left for England and were signed by Decca.  They were doing the Al Green sound, funky, but with a rock edge (remember, they were rocking their own instruments).  Success in England brought them back to the States and the song 'Natural High' was a R&B hit, the album of the same name would go Gold.  That was about the band's peak, but they continued to put out records, even did some stuff with Motown at one point.  Solid KC band and one of the few well known soul acts to come from the area.

Contagious

Mates Of State Bring It Back Polyvinyl 2005

Mates Of State Bring It Back Polyvinyl 2005 CAT #PRC-105-1

So, the beginnings of this band starts in Lawrence, KS.  The now married, Kori Garnder and Jason Hammel, were playing in bands in Lawrence, KS, separately.  They started dating, played together in the Lawrence band called Vosotros.  When that band ended, the two became Mates of State and played a few shows locally.  Then they moved to California and hit the big time.  Some people loved them just for the connection to the scene.  But, a lot of people called them sell outs.  A lot of rumors went around about the band; how they left due to feeling unappreciated and always hated the Lawrence scene, how they talked shit in California on Cow-Town, Kansas.  I remember when the My Solo Project album came to KJHK people would call just to complain that we played it.

Truth was, Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner weren't planning to be a full time band.  They were planning a life together.  When Hammel got accepted to a Med school in San Francisco, they moved.  Gardner started a teaching career, Hammel began further schooling.  They recorded some tunes and an album, it got attention and Mates of State became a full time gig.  The two would also wed one another, making their cute indie-pop even cuter.

Further, to the dismay of the haters, I'm not even sure the either member is a Kansas native.  Maybe Gardner is?  I don't know.  But, Hammel came to Kansas for college from Minnesota. So, other than forming in Lawrence, KS, this band isn't all that local.  Looking back, I'm not sure people had any right to be pissed about anything.  Screw it though, I'll claim them as a Lawrence band, they're awesome.

They are a great indie-pop duo.  And, I can't stress how much cuter they are knowing they are married with children.  I mean, that's freaking rad.  Kids, marriage, cool indie rock tunes, it's like Yo La Tengo without all the Velvet Underground (that is no way a knock on Yo La Tengo).  This is the duo's 4th album and in my opinion, the best they have put out.  It's full of hits.  Songs just sound ripe for movie soundtracks, commercials, and television.  You cannot deny the album's pop sensibilities and charm.  You can find a new favorite song every time you put this one on.

Yep, a rock video. Like U Crazy
For the Actor

The Moeder's Family Life with the Moeder's M.D.M. Productions

 The Moeder's Family Life with the Moeder's M.D.M. Productions 1978 No Cat #

Saw this in a thrift store, looked at it and thought two things, private press and religious.  Looked on the back sleeve, private press was pretty obvious, but not religious.  Even better, the family is from Oakley, KS.  Oakley is "Nowhere," Kansas.  Literally over 200 miles West of Wichita, 200 miles South of Denver.  It's a very small Western, Kansas town and very few people live there.

After purchasing this, I read the back cover and was already in love.  It's a family band, brothers and sisters, trying hard to bash out some pop tunes.  The bio is phenomenal, it states the oldest daughter, Roxanne, keeps the band together and is enrolled in modeling school in Florida.  The other sister, Dona, is the bubbly one and sings and plays guitar with her sister.  The brothers, they are hit and miss as far as the family band is concerned.  Mike plays bass sometimes, but his heart is with farm and livestock.  Drummer Jim likes horses and is self taught (because you'd never know by listening) and Steve is the youngest, he just kind of hangs out and plays percussion instruments.

The LP consists of a an original and covers.  None of the cover tunes are credited to the composer.  It states it was put out by M.D.M. productions, but listing to it, I got to assume that just means dad rented studio space in Hays, Kansas and hit record button.  It's amateur at best in terms of production.  Best part about it, the address and the home phone number are listed on the back as the spot to purchase your own copy of The Moerder's.  Seriously, I guess in 1978, giving out your address and home phone on an LP was cool and nothing to worry about.

So, it sounds terrible, it's amateur and poorly recorded.  I mean jeez, you can clearly hear out of tune guitars.  But, if this came out on K Records, people would call it twee-pop and rave about it.  It's impossible not to smile while listening to the girls sing their favorite country tunes such as Dolly Parton's 'Jolene,' Willie Nelson's 'Good Hearted Woman' and Kenny Roger's 'You Light Up My Life'.  It's all so honest.  And, accidentally, the band makes the songs their own due to the amateur nature of it.  The singing is monotone and off key, I've mentioned the drumming and guitars, the levels are completely flat, and the original tune, 'Family Life,' is highschool poetry at best.  The band has conviction, it's for real and it is honest.  I'm seriously contemplating making the trip to Oakley, KS, knocking on the door of the address listed on the back and asking if they still have a few copies of this.  I'd love to hand them out to friends and attempt to make this LP a "thing".  Try to hype the Private Press market with it.